We went for coffee after class. We found a delightful, dark, little blues cafe/bar. It had a homey smell of long-smoked cigarettes and good times. Posters of old American blues men on the walls, a Preservation Hall-like mural, French bistro style chairs, and bluesy versions of Beatles songs playing in the background. Wish I had taken pictures.

Our last stops before heading home were the grocery store and a dollar (1050 yen) store. Lots of fun exploring the housewares and baby sections. My favorite purchase was a piece of elastic with two clips for keeping baby's hat attached to her clothing.

While Brent taught his night class, we went out for dinner with Kris and her friend Judy Pan. She had a car, one of those small boxy vans, so it was our first opportunity to ride in a private vehicle

. Made for a nice change. We settled on a Udon Noodle Shop. Delicious! I particularly enjoyed the beef broth homemade Udon noodles, and the squid tempura -- it was cooked to perfection.

We came back to the apartment and had an extended conversation about life in Japan, China, and America. Judy is a bright, delightful young woman. She is from China's Hunan Province, but moved to San Francisco when she was eight years old. She had interesting stories about the impact of the Cultural Revolution on her family. Tthey had been land owners so took much abuse. She also talked about Chinese society's preference for boys -- to the point of leaving baby girls out in the weather to die. Those attitudes linger to this day. Another example of why I'm so glad to be born in this place and time.